I’ve never heard of Almost Dead, despite them releasing material since 2007. And, honestly, some of it is pretty fucking good. Albums like Internal Chaos and Mindfucked are pleasing bits of Pantera-esque thrash and groove. There are also interesting influences sprinkled in, like the cruising, old-school Lamb of God vibes of Mindfucked’s “Dead Enemies” and the Downy clean vocals of “Ignus Fatuus.” But, things began to change when Lay Them Down to Waste came along. The title track, for one, sounds so much like Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” that I see Batman in my peripheral vision. Since then, the band has tended to lean more heavily into their Panteraisms, producing fun little ditties that never quite capture the energy displayed on Internal Chaos. With that knowledge now cemented in your brain, let’s check out Destruction Is All We Know.
I’d be a fool for not giving Almost Dead some credit for not giving two fucks what anyone thinks of their straightforward and sometimes strange style. That said, Destruction Is All We Know is the oddest album of them all—no doubt with some help from dial and toggle man Zac “Friend o’ the Blog” Orhen. One moment, the album cruises along with Warbringer-like thrashings, the obvious stop-start motions of Pantera and Throwdown, and the unlikely inclusion of Mors Principium Est-like melodeath. But, the oddest influence gives one track, in particular, a Dimmu Borgir edge. Destruction Is All We Know is like nothing the band has ever done before, and, boy, am I praying for them.
“Warheads in the Sky” kicks off the back-to-back-to-back collection of the strongest tracks on the album. Incorporating some of their key atmospheres, this song slings a Warbringer chorus at Throwdown licks, building and growing before failing to keep its momentum with its lackluster, backend breakdown. But, follow-up track, “Commandments of Coercion,” does its damndest to keep things on track with its slick introduction and fitting, melodic cleans. At the midpoint, it transitions to a knuckle-dragging riff that powers its way to yet another riff—this time, set up beautifully by the drums. As the vocals throw wads of spittle at each other with Crisix-like energy, the song settles into a pleasing groove before concluding. The third member of this trio, “Eight Eyes of Black” adjusts the pace with those classic stop-start chugs made famous by Pantera. It even leans hard into the angry choruses Phil Anselmo used to be so good at. And, for the first time, the bass surfaces and sets up a back-half transition that grows into a Vulgar Display of Power frenzy.
It’s the flip side of the album that gets weird. Leading that charge is the record’s black sheep, “Within the Ashes.” It takes those key atmospheres from the opener to a whole ‘nother level. But, it’s not apparent at first because the song goes absolutely nowhere for two minutes. Then, it morphs from a thrasher to a straight-up Dimmu Borgir-style symphoblack piece. It’s one of those songs where you look at your music device to figure out if you are still listening to the same album. It’s not bad per se, but I just can’t get behind it. “Brutal Devotion” and “Where Sinners Cry” both have winding-down conclusions that remind me of Machine Head’s “A Thousand Lies,” growing slower and slower until they fade away. The first starts with some heavy Metallica vibes, but ultimately goes nowhere. The most notable part of the song is the chorus where, I swear to Satan, the lyrics are “I need to change my fucking lobster.” The other delves into melodeath territories, but is far too long and meanders too much.
In the end, Destruction Is All We Know adds another record to the band’s thrashy, groove-oriented career. Though, as stated, there are a lot of weird decisions made here. Some work but most don’t. While unique, to say the least, they completely disrupt the flow of the album—adding little to the overall experience. After exploring the band’s catalog, their older stuff is definitely the direction I’d rather they take, but I understand that there’s always evolution. However, the combination of these new influences and styles doesn’t work for Destruction Is All We Know. Would they work if the album was designed in such a way that you expected them? Maybe. Destruction Is All We Know is a perfect example of a mixed record. Still, I’m interested enough to see where they go from here.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Innerstrength Records | Bandcamp
Websites: facebook.com/bayareahardcoremetal
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024
